Ontario offers investment support to drive growth of manufacturers in Cambridge area
December 1, 2021
By Manufacturing AUTOMATION
The Ontario government is offering over $1.7 million in investment support to local manufacturers in Cambridge through the Regional Development Program. The funds will help create 167 jobs while strengthening local manufacturing and attracting investment in the area.
“The Regional Development Program continues to support local manufacturers through targeted investments that allow businesses to create good, local jobs,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “These projects are making a significant impact in communities and economies in the Cambridge region and Southern Ontario by helping to secure the private-sector investment to create the conditions for long-term economic growth and job creation. We thank IPF Holdings Inc., Shimco North America Inc. and Eclipse Automation Inc. for contributing to our province’s dynamic and growing manufacturing sector.”
Eclipse Automation is investing around $10.8 million to build an Industry 4.0 smart facility in Cambridge. With the $1 million support from the Ontario government’s Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, the company will create 140 new jobs. Eclipse is a privately held automation company in Canada and an automation provider in North America. The company has been ranked as one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies by Growth 500 every year since 2014. Building an Industry 4.0 smart facility will allow the company to increase its supply-chain inputs and productivity while reducing costs and opening it up to new markets.
“Our collaborative investment to accelerate the era of 4.0 smart facilities at Eclipse Automation is a key part of our growth strategy,” said Steve Mai, CEO of Eclipse Automation. “As an organization that designs and builds solutions for some of the world’s leading high-tech companies, we were already poised for the transformation to a 4.0 smart system methodology. The investment from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund helps support enhancements to our facilities and resources, which will lead to greater job creation within our multiple sites in Southern Ontario.”
IPF Holdings (good natured Products) in Ayr is investing $4.3 million in a new production line for eco-friendly packaging. With Ontario’s investment of $500,000 from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, good natured Products will create 15 jobs.
Shimco North America is investing around $3.8 million to establish a full-service vertically integrated processing system and a Shimco Centre of Excellence lab. With Ontario’s investment of $246,772 from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, Shimco will create 12 jobs. The new system will reduce cycle times from 20 days to three which will put the company in a position to better service its current customers, Bombardier, Boeing and Airbus, while also attracting new third-party aerospace manufacturers who require processing from an approved supplier.
“It is encouraging to see our Government’s continued investment in the manufacturing sector in Waterloo Region through the Regional Development Fund,” said Mike Harris, MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga. “Ontario’s added investment will help retain and create hundreds of jobs, which benefits our communities in every way. I’m thrilled that IPF Holdings Inc., Shimco North America Inc. and Eclipse Automation Inc. are growing their business in our region.”
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